American drops A330neo and looks at Boeing's Dreamliner for its widebody campaign

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Fort Worth - American Airlines no longer considers A330neo as an option for its widebody aircraft campaign. The decision leaves Boeing privileged in talks for a new 787 deal.

Talks with American Airlines for the A330-900 ended, announced Airbus on March 23. The European manufacturer was reluctant to meet the price offered by Boeing, according to Bloomberg news agency.

In this case, the competition simply priced their aircraft lower than we were willing to offer,

Airbus told Bloomberg.

We look forward to the next opportunity to compete with what we know is a superior product.

The U.S. airline operator had been considering the A330neo and Boeing 787 Dreamliner as a possible replacement for a no-longer-wanted old order of 22 Airbus A350 aircraft.

American is close to selecting the 787-9 for its widebody renewal program, another report from Reuters says, although American told Bloomberg that it hasn’t yet made any final decision on the aircraft order.

We are continuing to look at our wide-body options and are focused on making the right decision for American,

the Fort Worth-based carrier said.

American had planned the A350 as a substitute for aging 767s and 777s in its fleet. But the company delayed the delivery of the A350s and said it was interested in Boeing’s Dreamliner and the A330-900 instead.

The airline will have 40 of its 42 previously ordered 787 by the end of this year. The deal holds an option for another 52 copies.